"August" will build the largest free-range cattle housing complex in the Volga region
In the village of Ulyankovo, Kaibitsky district of the Republic of Tatarstan, in 2023 it is planned to build a dairy complex with the possibility of simultaneously keeping up to 6,800 head of cattle, including 3,400 cows. A major construction project will be started by the management company "August-Agro", which manages the agricultural business of the company "August", a leading domestic manufacturer of pesticides. It will be the largest free-range cattle housing complex (big-box with automatic cross-ventilation) in the Volga region and the eastern regions of Russia. At the same time, its area will be less than 50 hectares, because it will be built using the “monoblock” technology, which will allow the livestock to be fully housed in 2 large buildings (separately for cows and young animals) according to the “everything under one roof” principle.
In total, today under the management of "August-Agro" in the field of dairy farming there are 5 farms in 5 regions of Tatarstan, the total number of cattle is 9420 heads, including 5538 cows. The new dairy complex in the Kaybitsky district will be fully commissioned in 2025. Its livestock will be formed from heifers of the Holstein breed of black-and-white color of Russian selection through selection in domestic breeding farms.
Milking of cows will be carried out three times a day in an automatic carousel-type milking parlor with 80 seats. Industrial conditions of production and the use of conveyor technologies for animal care will allow maintaining a high milking rate - up to 600 or more cows per hour. Cooling of milk through the chiller to 4°C will occur within 10 minutes after receiving it; in this state it is planned to keep it until the moment of implementation.
The livestock of the new dairy complex will be provided with 100% identification and registration in accordance with state standards. Information on each animal will be quickly accumulated on the basis of a digital herd management platform with constant data exchange with controllers for milking, preparation and distribution of feed, as well as programs for breeding records and livestock movement. It is assumed that the average daily milk yield per cow will be at least 35 kg of milk per day, and the productivity of the entire complex will reach an indicator ranging from 35,000 to 45,000 tons of milk per year after reaching the design capacity.
Feed preparation and feeding of animals will take place using a mixer-distributor equipped with a control system, including scales and a software module. Silage and haylage trenches, concreted areas for laying mounds, sheds and areas for roughage, as well as bedding straw, a warehouse and a truck weighing station will appear on the territory of the complex for the storage of feed. On the basis of the new complex, an automatic manure removal system will be implemented with the possibility of utilizing the liquid fraction with subsequent application to the fields through a hose system. During the implementation of the project, almost 100% import substitution is planned in terms of equipment for keeping and ensuring the comfort of animals. In general, dairy production and the already operating plant-growing farm "Avgust-Kaibitsy" should become an example of synergy and integrated development of an agricultural enterprise.